al borde is an architectural practice founded in ecuador's capital quito. interested in the societal and political issues of the country, al borde develops architectural and social projects to drag the worlds attention to euador.

architecture in ecuador surveys the contemporary condition of the country’s built environment, showcasing a range of innovative projects and the diverse materials and unconventional forms employed in their construction.

on april 16, 2016, the coast of ecuador suffered an 7.8 grade-earthquake on richter scale. over 8.000 people became refugees in camps as a result. the reconstruction has been focused on the urban areas. the government has answered rapidly and along with the construction firms have developed big housing projects — mostly standard and generic. the rural areas inevitably are least attended, because the distance increases the cost of labor and materials. al borde + el sindicato arquitectura have created a hybrid dwelling based on prefab wooden structure, plus a complimentary personalized construction with local materials.

the rural housing prototype looks like a second home set in the country side

ecuadorian based architects al borde + el sindicato’s method assures the quality of the structure and enhances the dwelling with the local self-construction knowledge. the chosen material is plywood due to its standard dimensions and being easy to find at any hardware store. also, this decision allows the project team to fabricate glued laminated timber elements with unskilled local labor, in the nearest inhabited areas to the disaster.

to the left the prefab structural frame, to the right an option designed with local material and techniques

al borde + el sindicato’s ‘post-earthquake prototype — rural dwelling’ project has been possible because of its design for the german pavilion — habitat III being conceived as a storage of materials. after the UN conference, it would be reused as a rural dwelling prototype. a catastrophe of this magnitude demands a massive response. the challenge is how to answer effectively without falling into generic standard soulless solutions. the project is a structural frame that can be easily filled with local materials, enhancing the use of local construction techniques and allowing volunteer involvement and any unskilled labor.

al borde + el sindicato arquitectura have created a hybrid dwelling based on prefab wooden structure

the ecuadorian based architects’ method assures the quality of the structure

the dwelling is enhanced with the local self-construction knowledge

a catastrophe of this magnitude demands a massive response

the rural areas inevitably are least attended

the project is a structural frame that can be filled with local materials, enhancing the use of local techniques

a part of the project was built with students and the workshops were lead by ENOBRA

this catastrophe is due to the lack of control by the authorities and self-construction irresponsibility

german pavilion habitat III — as a storage of materials, waiting for its second life as housing prototype

the challenge is how to answer effectively without falling into generic standard soulless solutions

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom

AL BORDE

may 31, 2018

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